Jesus' Teachings

Like most of the teachings from other religions in the past, Jesus gives his followers a certain code to follow. However, unlike the others, it is less specific. There are some basic requirements - don't steal, lie, kill, etc - but beyond that a follower is simply to live a good life. The kingdom of heaven is open to any type of person who is good. Jesus is also one of the first religious leaders to directly encourage the poor. He acknowledges that they are people too, and let's them know that they are worthy of getting into heaven along with the wealthy. Another new aspect he brings up is that revenge is not good, and evil should be repaid with kindness. "...love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you..." He very directly said that you will be rewarded by living a good life on earth. Other religions suggested that it was right to take revenge, and that the poor were inferior. Jesus taught his followers to treat every person equally and with respect. Don't treat others the way they treat you; treat them as if they're your best friend.

Why Do Empires Form?

Empires form when civilizations want to expand, when powerful leaders gain power, and when culture and ideas spread. In Rome, there were many people fighting for power, so when Caesar gained power, his urge for control grew and his empire expanded.The wealthy had a lot of power, which led to an empire being built.
In China, many wise and powerful leaders rose to power during the Period of Warring States, which unified China and made it into a large and successful empire.
In India, leaders were born after Alexander the Great had came and went. His legacy was famous, and people rose to the occasion in hopes of ruling a strong empire.

Passage 4

Caesar had a lot of accomplishments, but Brutus and all Caesar's haters ganged up and stabbed him to death.

Passage 3

In 146 BCE, the Roman Empire expanded to Iberia, modern Italy, Macedon, Ionia, and Carthage in Africa.

Passage 2

Tiberius said people to have a Limit to how much land they own. When explaining the owner could defend their land, people thought he said he wanted a crown so the Roman senators killed him.

Passage 1

If you commit a crime, you'll be punished equally. Deformed babies are killed. Basically if you get killed for a crime you deserved it.

Textbook vs. Wikipedia

I think both the textbook and Wikipedia are useful resources for what we're studying, but they both have their pros and cons. Wikipedia is much easier to navigate, I think, and is good if you have something specific to find about the topic. On the other hand, there is that never ending debate about how valid the information on there is. The textbook is a little harder to break into sections than Wikipedia, and no offense Mr. Whitten, but reading it makes my eyes glaze over. But it's good for getting a good look at the topic in general, and all the basic knowledge you need to know about it. It also has a lot more pictures, and things like charts and maps.
So as we go section to section, I would probably prefer using the textbook, to make sure I have the basis of everything down correctly. But I like using Wikipedia for looking up specific facts or a summary of something.

Bhagavad Gita Caste Duties

The Bhagavad Gita talks about the importance of knowing and fulfilling your own duty. It also stresses the importance of not become attached to material objects, and to avoid being allured by pleasure and power. Overall, fulfill your duties on earth, and you'll get the highest reward possible: a spot in heaven.
Zarathustra agrees with the Bhagavad Gita on the concept of good behavior earning you a place in heaven. But Zarathustra also focuses less on action than this, and more on a person's goodness. The Bhagavad Gita says you should act based on instinct, not of what the consequences will be. Confucianism differs here, because it's teachings say you should be the best person you can be, and therefor be prudent when acting. All three revolve around a person being "good", but differ a lot about heaven, how you get to heaven, and your behaviors on earth.

A Post about Posting

I think that blog posts should be treated similarly to if we had written a paragraph in class and handed them in. While it's important for us to use good grammar and double-check our work, points shouldn't be taken away for someone whose strengths may not lie in writing. The length, as long as it's not really long or short, shouldn't matter as long as the post includes everything that needs to be addressed. Unless someone's post has nothing to do with anything we're talking about, they shouldn't get a 0. Getting a 1 could be a brief minimum, a 2 would be good, and a 3 being detailed and accurate. Lastly, I think that the only person grading should be Mr. Whitten, but why not have others comment on our posts? There's nothing wrong with arguing someone's point, or agreeing, or bringing up something new.

Confucius Quote - Modern Government

The Confucius quote I picked was "The gentleman understands what is moral, the small man understands what is profitable." This says a lot about the difference between choosing actions that lead to profit alone, and the ones that are moral and profitable. I would direct this quote towards the members of our government, in regards to their choices regarding war. There are many was the US was involved with that people will argue was unnecessary (Iraq, Afghanistan). While it's admirable that the US feels the need to play the peacemaker, that isn't the effect of what joining a war does. The funding for a war is astronomical, and our economy had been plunging for a while now. Soldiers can be off fighting in the Middle East with high-tech weapons, but we have countless Americans who are starving, unemployed, or homeless. There's no denying that the US is a strong country, but is it a moral one? The decisions made by past presidents may go against that.